Exposing Fate
by Ashla
Summary: Sequel to 'Exposing the Truth' A year has passed and things seem well. That is until one of the gang goes missing and a second is put through extreme pain. Will they survive? And escape? Please R&R! PG13


Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon, WHAA! 

A/N: Whee! The squeal to 'Exposing the Truth!' has finally arrived! ^^ Took me long enough, no? I was going to try and do some more of my other stories, but I could never get into the mood, as well as I've had this evil writer's block for so long! Well, I'm going to try my best for this one ^^ Here's to all my pals and readers! Please R&R! ^^ 

**NOTE:** You should read 'Exposing the Truth!' before reading this. ^^ 

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Exposing Fate   
Part One  
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It was a wonderful summer's day. The kind of day that would make you sigh in content as the sun shone its rays down on your face. But there was a whole stadium full of people that were too engrossed in a match to care much about the weather. The Pokémon Master was battling with one of the lands' known strongest pokémon trainers, and nobody wanted to miss a minute of it. 

Down on the arena grounds stood two trainers and two pokémon. On one side was a Pikachu and his dark haired trainer, Ash Ketchum. This twenty two year old trainer from Pallet town stood tall. A look of deep concentration masked his face. He wore a pair of black jeans, black sneakers and a red t-shirt. He wiped his brow and looked over at his opponent. 

On the far side stood the Pokémon Master himself, Jeff Ranger, and his formidable Dragonite. He was a year younger than Ash was but his skills far surpassed Ash's in many ways. He wore his favourite outfit; combat trousers, black boots, and an opened sleeveless, dark green jacket covering a lighter green t-shirt. Around his head was a bandana the same colour as his t-shirt. Red hair poked out from the sides under the bandana. Though this match would determine whether he kept his title as Pokémon Master or not, he was grinning over at Ash, enjoying every moment of this. 

After a few moments of silence between the two trainers, Jeff called out an attack. 

"Dragonite! Blizzard attack!" Jeff commanded and his dragon pokémon nodded. It arched its neck and glared down at the small pokémon in front of it. With eerily glowing eyes, it roared and a full-scale blizzard shot forward. 

"Pikachu use agility!" Ash cried out. The little yellow mouse cried a 'Pika!' and vanished in a blur. Blurs of yellow appeared all around the arena and Ash grinned. _'Dragonite maybe good, but it's no match for Pikachu's speed,'_ he thought. 

"Agility!" 

"Ahh crud!" Ash watched helplessly as the Dragonite vanished just like Pikachu had done moments ago. There were a few clashes before Dragonite reappeared, cool and collected. Pikachu lay unconscious at its feet. 

"Pikachu no!" 

"And Jeff is the winner! The Pokémon Master keeps his title!" the announcer's voice blared around the stadium. The crowd roared like thunder and applause rang out. 

Jeff grinned and looked around. He threw his hands in the air and laughed. "Ohh I never get tired of this!" He dropped his arms and turned back to the arena. His Dragonite carefully handed Ash back his Pikachu and gave him a small nuzzle on the cheek. Jeff smiled and went over to them. "Nice work there, man. You've really improved." 

Ash looked up at his friend and smiled. "Thanks Jeff. I still can't believe I lost so badly!" 

"Well... beating three out of six isn't too bad," Jeff told him, but couldn't help smirking. Ash raised an eyebrow and chuckled. 

"Ohh stop patronising me!" 

"But it's so much fun." Jeff paused when Ash scowled at him. "Ohh alright. Come on. I'm going to get a headache if I stay here much longer." He walked over to his Dragonite and leapt up onto its back. "You coming?" 

Ash nodded and ran over. Once Ash was seated behind Jeff, Dragonite stood to its full height and spread its wings. Jeff snatched the microphone off of the announcer that had come over to them. 

"I wanna thank all of you for coming here today. I would epically like to thank Ash Ketchum, not only a great friend, but a very worthy adversary as well! Tune in next time I whoop some trainer's backside!" The crowd was mixed with cheers and laughter. Jeff tossed the microphone back and looked over his shoulder. "Hold on dude. Dragonite, go!" 

Dragonite roared and crouched down slightly. It kicked off the ground and flew out of the stadium at shocking speed, and they were gone. 

* * * 

One figure in the crowd stared at where Jeff and Ash had been standing last. His hand strayed up to his face and touched a scar under his left eye. His brown eyes narrowed slightly, but his lips curled up into a smirk. "It's been a year, Jeff. I'm coming to get you now. You will be mine." They turned and started walking away with the leaving crowds. 

* * * 

Later that night a group of friends sat around a table at the Mt. Silver Pokémon Centre. The centre had closed its doors to other trainers for a few days by request of Jeff, not that it mattered as hardly anybody came to Mt. Silver in the first place. 

Ash sighed and closed his eyes. "What a day." 

"I'll say. Getting your butt kicked is hard work," Gary Oak teased and received a slap across the head from Ash. He laughed and punched Ash back on the arm. 

"Don't bruise him Gary," spoke up Ash's girlfriend, Misty Waterflower. "I don't like damaged goods." 

Brock Slate laughed and glanced at Ash. "But he's dysfunctional anyway." 

"Yeah, has a few screws loose," spoke up Richie with a grin. He held Erika around the waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder. They'd gotten together about a year ago and everyone could see they were in love. 

Ash looked around at them in disbelief. "I can't believe you guys! Would ya all stop ramming me down already?" 

"Yeah, leave the squirt alone," Tracey scolded them and laughed. "Sorry Ash. Couldn't help it." 

"Ohh thanks." Ash rolled his eyes and looked over at Jeff. "You've been quiet for a while now. You okay?" 

"Sure I am Ash-man. I'm just thinking that's all." Jeff saw Tracey open his mouth and narrowed his eyes, just daring him to say anything mocking. Tracey caught this look and snapped his mouth shut straight away. 

Jeff's girlfriend, Tiffany, was sitting behind him, massaging his shoulders. Her long velvet like hair hung over her shoulders, helping to cover what her skimpy clothing wouldn't. She smiled. "It's late. How about you two have an early night? You've been through a lot today." 

"I think that might be best. I'm bushed." On cue, Ash let out a long yawn. This made Jeff stifle a yawn and he nodded. 

"Yeah, I agree." He turned his head to one side and Tiffany pressed her lips against his. "You stay down with the others for a while. I'll probably be asleep when you get up." 

"Okay sweety." 

Ash turned to Misty. "Do I get a good night kiss?" 

Misty chuckled and smiled at him. "Ohh, I don't know." 

"Please?" 

Misty stared into his eyes and her heart flopped. "Ohh okay! Just stop looking at me like that!" Ash grinned and locked lips with her. He always knew how to look at her just right, but she also could do the same to him. 

"Would you two save that for a bedroom?" Gary rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "It's kinda making me want to hurl." 

"Ohh you're just jealous, Gary." Tiffany grinned as she hung over Jeff's shoulders. "Just because you don't have a girlfriend doesn't mean you can go around putting others down." 

Gary blushed and snorted, turning his head away from them. 

"Anyway, I'm off. Night guys." Jeff rose from his seat and stretched out his limbs. He looked over at Ash and Misty, who still wouldn't let their lips part. He smiled. They deserved to be together after everything they had been through. The last year had been hectic. When Jeff had met Ash he was just after coming second in the Kanto league three years ago. Of course he didn't let him know that he was the Pokémon Master, everyone found that out only a year ago. They got talking and were soon good friends. Jeff travelled around with Ash and Brock every once and a while, but neither of them didn't even know what pokémon Jeff had. He would never battle against anyone and always declined challenges, so that he wouldn't be found it. He wished for his identity to remain a secret. The only reason people knew he was a trainer was because of the pokeball hanging on a chain around his neck. 

During one of their travels Ash had told Jeff about Misty. It turned out that she and Ash had parted ways when they were about seventeen. She told him that she had to stay behind at her family gym, so Ash continued on with Brock. Then, on Ash's twenty-first birthday, she arrived out of nowhere, but not under good circumstances. As it turned out, Misty's uncle, Payne Waterflower, had murdered her parents when she was only a small girl and had forced her and her sisters into working in his exotic dancers business in Goldenrod. When Misty turned seventeen it was her turn to enter the so-called trade, and she didn't have a choice. Everything was kept under wraps. 

When Ash found out what Misty was doing for a job, he was determined to figure out why she was doing it. So Ash, Jeff, Brock and Gary set out searching Goldenrod for answers and ended up finding the club. That was where Jeff met Tiffany. She worked there and 'bumped' into Jeff when he was there searching with Ash. The events that followed passed so quickly that Jeff still had trouble remembering it all. He remembered saying Misty's name and Tiffany helped them out. Then they met Rudy. 

Ash knew Rudy from a past gym match in the Orange Islands, on Trovita. Rudy now though, was working for Payne and was in charge of making sure Ash didn't get to Misty. Jeff had stayed behind to battle Rudy so that Ash could find Misty. All that Jeff knew after that was that Rudy got away and there was a gunshot. Rudy had shot Ash in the chest while Payne stood back and watched. Jeff and his Dragonite intervened once more and that's when Jeff told them who he really was. The walls of the alley in which they had been fighting collapsed because of Dragonite's hyper beam attack. Ash recovered in hospital, Misty was unhurt, as was Jeff. Rudy vanished without a trace and Payne was arrested. But it wasn't over there. 

At Payne's trial he had been found not guilty of murder, kidnapping and child abuse. Misty and her sister's were crushed, but they hadn't seen Payne since and she stayed with Ash the whole time. Now that Jeff's secret was out, Ash was constantly challenging him to matches. Jeff did battle him a few times, but Ash never won. Misty was always there to help him back up and to train again. 

_'If anyone deserves to be together, it's those two,'_ Jeff thought and smiled once more. 

"What are you smiling about?" Tiffany asked and tilted her head. 

"Huh? Ohh nothing. Just reminiscing. Night." He put a light kiss on her forehead and walked off to his room. After closing the door he sighed deeply and flipped on the light switch. _'What time is it?'_ he pondered and stared up at the clock. _'Only half ten. I'll have a shower before going to bed,'_ he thought and headed for the bathroom. 

* * * 

Outside, the man from the stadium looked up as Jeff's bathroom light turned on. He chuckled to himself and watched the master undress and get into the shower. Lucky for Jeff the room was on the second floor and the windowsill covered the waist down. "Mine. All mine." 

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To be continued...  
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Ohh that was so much fun! ^^ I know not that much happened, but all stories have to start somewhere, right? Now I have to think of a name ^^; Sorry to peeps who've read 'Exposing the Truth!' and had to read those few paragraphs there in the middle, but minds need refreshing, and I finished that story months ago.   
It feels so good to write this again! And no writers block while typing this too! Only took about an hour and a half.   
Anyways, I'm rambling. As you can probably guess, this story will be about Jeff a bit more than Ash and co. They'll still be in it lots! So no fear ^^ I just like Jeff too much not to have him do more in this story.   
*Slaps herself.* Stop rambling!   
Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know what you think ^^.   
Slán slán! 

~Ashla~   
E-mail: pokemonbundle@hotmail.com 


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